The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, in partnership with Art Production Fund, is pleased to announce artist-in-residence Mark Brandvik. In his project, 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1, Brandvik will call upon guests to help him create an iconic image, an Apollo mission launch, in a week-by-week process. Composed of five large monochromatic layers, the piece will evolve over the course of Brandvik’s residency until its completion at the end of week five.

During their visit and while under the direction of the artist, guests will have the opportunity to help apply color to the transparent panel corresponding to that week's color layer. They will be encouraged to add the color pigment using stencils, stamps, fingerprints, drawings, personal notes, stickers, etc. to build up the color fields. The collective effort needed to build the image evokes the spirit of human capital required to conceive and launch ideas.

At the end of each week, the completed layer will be hung vertically in the studio in front of the one finished the week before. As a result, guests inside and outside the studio will witness an evolving image in varying degrees of resolution. In addition, window dioramas and other works inspired by the design intent of the larger work will be on display.

Mark Brandvik received his Master’s of Fine Arts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1998 and his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1996. He has been featured in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe including Top Ten Now Los Angeles and VOLUME CONTROL at VAST Space Projects in Las Vegas, where he now resides. The recipient of several grants and commissions, Brandvik’s work is found in many private, public and corporate collections. In addition to his art practice, Brandvik has been teaching art at the college level since 1997.His work was recently acknowledged in Las Vegas Weekly: Best of 2014 for Narrative Sculpture.

The artist-in-residence program at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas represents one component of its larger art program, in which artists create projects that are interactive and participatory, giving guests the opportunity to connect at an authentic and personal level. Developed and curated in partnership with Art Production Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to producing ambitious public art projects, it strives to reach new audiences and expand awareness through contemporary art.